The undefeated De La Salle Lady Spikers made a quick work out of the winless UE Lady Warriors 25-16 25-15 25-14 and are now a win away from sweeping the eliminations and enter the finals outright.
Cyd Demecillo led the defending champions with 10 points while Abi Maraño and Mika Reyes had 8 apiece.
Except for the early goings of Set 1, the Lady Spikers dominated the entire contest, which only took a little over an hour to finish.
The only team left standing in La Salle’s path for a sweep is NU. The 12-1 Lady Bulldogs have won 10 straight games after losing to the Lady Spikers in the first round. Both teams will clash this Saturday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
If they win, the Lady Spikers will be entering the finals for the 6th straight year with a thrice-to-beat advantage. The remaining top three teams in the standings will figure in a step-ladder semifinals for the second finals berth.
The De La Salle Green Spikers defeated Adamson 25-19, 25-21, 21-25, 25-18 as they continue their impressive run in the second round of the tournament.
After finishing the first round at 7th place with a 2-5 slate, the team has chalked up 4 straight wins, two of which were against top-seeded teams. They now tie the Falcons for the last final four berth at 7-6.
Their chances of making it to the next phase appear quite good as they will have cellar dweller UE as their final opponent in the eliminations. Adamson meanwhile will go up against Ateneo, who is aiming to claim the top spot from NU entering the semis.
The Lady Tennisters failed to close out their championship series with NU yesterday as they lost Game 2 3-1.
Top seed Hanna Grace Espinosa, who was forced to retire due to cramps in Game One, exacted revenge against Rachelle De Guzman, 3-6, 7-5, 6-2, to open up the day’s play with a victory for the top-seeded Lady Bulldogs.
In doubles, Kimberly Uytico and Junnalyn Polito came back from a set down to beat Nikkirey Arandia and Anne Rene Castillo, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, before the sophomore duo of Anna Vienna Bienes and Marie Gold Nagret routed Pauline Denise Cacapit and Lynette Palasan, 6-0, 6-0, to complete the series-tying win for NU.
De La Salle got a consolation of sort as NU head coach Karl Santamaria decided to pull out Christine Patrimonio in the second singles against Regina Santiago to keep the Lady Bulldog in top shape for Game 3.
Patrimonio won the first set 7-6 (9-7).
The deciding match will be this Sunday at 10am.